Pinna Oscula
by Lynn Jones
Summary: Anna and Kyohei discuss Kyohei's fascination with Anna's singing. Fluffiness to tie in with Fractum Plumis Kadota/OC


Anna was always singing. Or humming. Kyohei loved it, loved listening to her as they trained, or prepared a meal, or relaxed after a long day. Even when they were on watch, she often hummed quietly or sang. Sometimes Kyohei half-heartedly reminded her that they wouldn't be able to hear and threats approaching if she was making noise, but she always laughed it off and reminded him that if they fell asleep or were bored, they wouldn't notice anything anyway.

She knew he didn't really want her to stop anyway.

She knew from the way he paused when she started to hum, tuning in to the sound. She knew from the way he relaxed as she sang, the way he would tilt his head or turn slightly in her direction to hear her better.

So she sang whenever he was near, and she reveled in the way she could snag his attention with just a few notes. He could be sparring with one of the other Guardians, and she could be on the sidelines, watching, and if she so much as hummed, he would go on the defense for a moment to focus, then resume his match, a fraction of his attention fixed on the music she was making.

"Kyohei," Anna murmured one day, about a year after they were assigned to Prince Kasuka as Guardians. They had been friends for years, but had never talked about how he reacted to her singing. Both of them sensed that the conversation had the potential to change everything. "Why do you like my singing so much? You always listen so intently." His reply was calm and easy, not too fast or too slow.

"I like the way your voice sounds," he told her. "And I can tell what you're going to do by what you sing or hum – or rather, the way you do it," he added casually. Anna blinked.

"You can?"

"Yeah. Like when you interrupt my sparring matches, your voice sounds mischievous, no matter what you're singing," he said, lips curving upward in a confident grin. "Or when you're tired, even if you're trying to hide it, I can tell. You tend to hum more when you're trying to focus or stay awake, and you sing louder when you're trying to get my attention." He pretended not to notice how her blue eyes widened at his words, how her red-gold feathers were shifting, how she leaned toward him. "And when you're trying to calm someone down, you sing under your breath, like you want to soothe them without them realizing what you're doing. It works for Kasuka really well, and you know I'm always soothed by your singing."

"Kyohei," Anna whispered. "I had no idea you were listening _that_ well."

"I can tell what you're feeling too, sometimes," he informed her. "Like when you're frustrated, there's this little growling tone to your voice. It's kind of adorable, actually." Her feathers fluffed up a bit at that her wings rising and her shoulders hunching, and she let out an irritated huff, followed by a barely audible hum. "And now you're embarrassed."

Now she gaped at him, wings dropping a few centimeters in shock.

"How did you-"

"You told me," he chuckled. "The way you hunched and hummed when you huffed at me just now. If you were irritated, your wing tips would've twitched toward each other, and you would've growled instead of humming."

"When did you get to know me so well?" Anna sighed, shaking her head. Kyohei gave her a small, tender smile.

"Anna, sometimes it feels like I've always known you that well," he admitted. At that, her wings and shoulders hunched again, and she tilted her face away, but not before he caught a glimpse of her blush. That made him pause; for a moment, he didn't know why she would be blushing.

"I know what you mean," she murmured. Red-gold wings fluttered slightly, and the slight breeze they caused blew a lock of wavy red-gold hair into her face. Kyohei reached out and gently tucked the lock of hair behind her ear.

"Anna…" There was a feeling swelling in his chest, closing his throat and keeping him from speaking. His fellow Guardian still had her face turned away, but he _needed_ to look her in the eyes, so he tenderly brushed her jaw with his fingertips. She tilted her head so her face was toward him, leaning slightly to press her still-flushed cheek into his touch. The tiny angel kept her eyes downcast, though, and Kyohei frowned at that. "Look at me," he urged softly. For a long moment, he wasn't sure she would do it. Then, slowly, her gaze lifted, trailing up to meet his. As their eyes met, he realized why she was blushing. It was the same reason his heart was speeding up and his black feathers were fluffing up nervously.

Kyohei gently stroked her cheek, and Anna bit her lip, torn between closing her eyes and keeping her gaze fixed on his face.

"You shouldn't do that," he murmured, sliding his thumb along her cheekbone, then down to carefully tease her lip from between her teeth. A shiver ran through her, and her wings couldn't seem to decide if they should flutter happily or relax against her back. Kyohei's own wings were easing between being held tightly against his back and being half-spread. He fought back the urge to pull her closer and extend his wings, to curve them forward until they wrapped around her small frame.

"Why not?" Anna's voice wasn't a hum, or a song, but a breathy tone that he'd never heard before.

"Because it makes it harder to do this," he answered, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. For an instant, he was afraid she would pull away. Then her eyelids fluttered shut and her wings went limp as she leaned into the kiss, a soft hum rising in her throat. They stayed like that for a long moment, and then Kyohei gently separated their lips. Anna's eyes blinked open, and she looked up at him with an expression that was half fear and half longing. Kyohei kissed her again, just a brush of his mouth over hers, then said quietly, "May I hold you?" She blinked, then nodded and scooted closer so he could wrap his arms around her. After a moment's hesitation, she lifted her wings so his arm could rest between them and her back. In response, her companion's huge black wings spread until they blocked out the world around them, enveloping the two of them in their own world of soft feathers and closeness.

"Kyohei…" Anna began, trailing off when she couldn't find words for what she was thinking or feeling. At a loss, she began to hum, her tone soft but content. Kyohei grinned and kissed her cheek.

"I know, Anna," he told her. "I love you." She was glad that Kyohei's wings created a shadow that helped hide her blush as her humming faltered. "You don't have to say it back; I just want you to know that I kissed you because-"

A gentle touch on his lips stopped him mid-sentence.

"I know," she whispered. "I love you, too."


End file.
